John Calhoun was the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He was born in Abbeville, South Carolina, and graduated from Yale College in 1804. In 1808 he was elected to South Carolina's state legislature, and in 1811 he was elected to the House of Representatives. He left the House in 1817 for the post of Secretary of War in James Monroe's cabinet. In 1824 he became vice president under John Quincy Adams and in 1828 was reelected under Andrew Jackson.Calhoun was a Nationalist before the party disbanded, and was also a defender of slavery.
Congressman and Secretary of War
As a congressman, Calhoun helped drive the United States to war with Britain in 1812. He was part of a group known as the Warhawks, who supported the war because they believed that it was the only way to stop the British from attacking American ships. He became the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in 1812 and introduced the war bill that was passed in June of the same year. After the war ended, Calhoun established the Second Bank of the United States in 1816, before leaving Congress in 1817. Calhoun served as Secretary of War for over seven years in James Monroe's cabinet. The government was in a bad place after the War of 1812, with debts totaling $45 million. Calhoun took measures to pay off this debt, and by the end of his second term as Secretary only $3 million was not paid.
Presidential Election
Calhoun ran for the presidency in the 1824 election, along with John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, Henry Clay, and Andrew Jackson. All of the candidates for the election that year were Republicans. The race came down to Adams and Jackson. Neither one won the majority in electoral votes, but Adams won the vote in the House of Representatives. Calhoun won the vice presidential election with support on both Adams and Jackson's sides. He was reelected to the position in 1828.
Tariff of Abominations and the Nullification Crisis
The Tariff of 1828, or Tariff of Abominations, was made to protect Northern industry. Calhoun initially supported the bill, but later turned on it because of criticism that the tariff favored the Northern economy over the South. He worked on a new tariff with other Southerners that would favor the South in order to cancel out the 1828 tariff. This eventually led to the Nullification Crisis in South Carolina. In 1832, South Carolina declared that the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were null and void within the boundaries of the state. Calhoun was a defender of nullification, and supported the decision. The federal government then passed the Force Bill, which allowed the President to use the military against South Carolina. The government also passed the Compromise Tariff of 1833 (proposed by Henry Clay and John Calhoun) which stated that that import taxes would gradually be cut. This satisfied South Carolina, and the Nullification Crisis ended.
Sectionalism
John Calhoun's beliefs promoted sectionalism. He defended slavery and believed that the federal government should have less control over the states and that the states should have the freedom to choose what federal laws to follow, as seen in the Nullification Crisis. These are both Southern ideas that were not supported by the North. Calhoun only represented the South, and did not stand behind any laws or legislatures that benefited only the North. Since his beliefs furthered the divide between the North and the South, his views advanced sectionalism.
John C. Calhoun
1782-1850
John Calhoun was the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He was born in Abbeville, South Carolina, and graduated from Yale College in 1804. In 1808 he was elected to South Carolina's state legislature, and in 1811 he was elected to the House of Representatives. He left the House in 1817 for the post of Secretary of War in James Monroe's cabinet. In 1824 he became vice president under John Quincy Adams and in 1828 was reelected under Andrew Jackson. Calhoun was a Nationalist before the party disbanded, and was also a defender of slavery.
Congressman and Secretary of War
As a congressman, Calhoun helped drive the United States to war with Britain in 1812. He was part of a group known as the Warhawks, who supported the war because they believed that it was the only way to stop the British from attacking American ships. He became the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in 1812 and introduced the war bill that was passed in June of the same year. After the war ended, Calhoun established the Second Bank of the United States in 1816, before leaving Congress in 1817.Calhoun served as Secretary of War for over seven years in James Monroe's cabinet. The government was in a bad place after the War of 1812, with debts totaling $45 million. Calhoun took measures to pay off this debt, and by the end of his second term as Secretary only $3 million was not paid.
Presidential Election
Calhoun ran for the presidency in the 1824 election, along with John Quincy Adams, William Crawford, Henry Clay, and Andrew Jackson. All of the candidates for the election that year were Republicans. The race came down to Adams and Jackson. Neither one won the majority in electoral votes, but Adams won the vote in the House of Representatives. Calhoun won the vice presidential election with support on both Adams and Jackson's sides. He was reelected to the position in 1828.Tariff of Abominations and the Nullification Crisis
The Tariff of 1828, or Tariff of Abominations, was made to protect Northern industry. Calhoun initially supported the bill, but later turned on it because of criticism that the tariff favored the Northern economy over the South. He worked on a new tariff with other Southerners that would favor the South in order to cancel out the 1828 tariff. This eventually led to the Nullification Crisis in South Carolina.In 1832, South Carolina declared that the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were null and void within the boundaries of the state. Calhoun was a defender of nullification, and supported the decision. The federal government then passed the Force Bill, which allowed the President to use the military against South Carolina. The government also passed the Compromise Tariff of 1833 (proposed by Henry Clay and John Calhoun) which stated that that import taxes would gradually be cut. This satisfied South Carolina, and the Nullification Crisis ended.
Sectionalism
John Calhoun's beliefs promoted sectionalism. He defended slavery and believed that the federal government should have less control over the states and that the states should have the freedom to choose what federal laws to follow, as seen in the Nullification Crisis. These are both Southern ideas that were not supported by the North. Calhoun only represented the South, and did not stand behind any laws or legislatures that benefited only the North. Since his beliefs furthered the divide between the North and the South, his views advanced sectionalism.